Check Your Soil Before You Water

Pyrus calleryana 'Chanticleer'

Autumn is weasel weather season here in Northern California. Phrases such as "Slight chance of rain", "A chance of showers", "Chance of morning fog", fill the forecasts this time of year. And occasionally we get really nice weather...perhaps too nice, for this time of year. Such as now. High temperatures this week are approaching 80, with sunny skies forecast for the next few days. 

 But just because you're opening the windows, have switched back to short-sleeve shirts and veering towards the water cooler more often doesn't necessarily mean your lawn and garden are thirsty.

Don't be fooled by short bursts of sunny, warm days now. The angle of the sun, the shorter days, dropping soil temperatures and the reduction of the soil evapotranspiration rate that is happening now means your lawn and garden soil is retaining more moisture than it was a couple of months ago. 

In October and November (and all winter, too), turn your automatic lawn sprinklers off. Turn them on, manually, only when the roots of your lawn need irrigation.  How can you tell? Use these tools:

 

A good quality soil moisture meter probe and a soil auger.

Before you turn on your irrigation, check the moisture level of your soil, a few inches deep (preferably 8-10 inches down...if you can penetrate the probe that far!). If the meter reads on the high end, keep the sprinklers off.

A good quality moisture meter can cost nearly a $100. But because it is battery operated and has a calibration screw (and a better quality probe), it is more trustworthy and definitely lasts longer than less expensive moisture meters.

 

A soil auger allows you to do the hand-feel test of your soil. The half-pipe design of an auger allows you to easily grab a handful of that deeper soil.

 

Roll that soil around the palm of your hand. 

If it breaks up with no effort, or is crumbling to begin with, then that area needs water.

If, when you squeeze that soil sample, water pours out of your hand, the soil is too wet.

The ideal moisture level: soil that easily forms a ball in your hand, crumbles with a bit of effort on your part, but has no excess water.

Don't assume that because your lawn's soil is moist that your containerized plants are fine, too. Because they are above ground, have better drainage and probably a soil that is more porous, potted plants need more frequent waterings. 

Stick that moisture meter in the plant pot. 

 

The results may surprise you!

Don't let how you feel determine your lawn and garden's watering needs. You may be thirsty; but there's a good chance that, this time of year, your soil is fine, thank you.

Goodbye, Lawn!

 

Lawns can be a soothing, oasis of green. However, lawns can be a water hog and a time usurper (mowing, fertilizing, weeding). And time is something we all could use a bit more of. And frankly, if one has a large lawn, why not remove one-third of it and put it to a better purpose, while reducing water use and increasing free time?

This was our goal for 2009. And by Memorial Day weekend of 2010, Mission Accomplished! Here's what we did:

June-July 2009: Kill off 1600 square feet of our 5000 square foot lawn, an area dominated by every gardener's perennial nemesis, bermudagrass. Because of the surrounding trees and shrubs, as well as possible adverse health effects using an herbicide weed killer such as glyphosate (Roundup), we chose to organically rid ourselves of that lawn, using soil solarization (complete instructions at that website). 

A piece of advice, learned the hard way: yes, you could purchase a clear plastic drop cloth from the paint aisle at the big box store, and it would work...for a couple of weeks. After that, it deteriorates in the sun to the point where it becomes confetti-like, ripping and flying in the slightest breeze. Choose a clear plastic that has been treated to withstand UV rays.

September 2009 (hey, I never claimed to be a fast worker): After much discussion asking ourselves the question, "now what?", we bring in the professionals for design ideas. We would choose our own plants; design, though, is not our strong suit. Landscape Designer Colleen Hamilton from Bloomin' Landscape Designs drew up the plan, along with landscape contractor Dave Rhodes from Rhodes Landscape Design, who did the installation.

November 2009: The destruction/construction process begins. The crew from Rhodes Landscaping used a sod cutter to remove the root area of the bermudagrass. The pathways, brick patio, lighting and garden fountain are installed. 

After the crews left, we wheelbarrowed in 15 yards of compost, and topped that with 10 yards of an organic mulch, walk-on bark. And then we wait to see how the area drains after a heavy rainstorm.

February 2010: Glad we waited before planting. There were a couple of puddles still standing in the area, 24 hours after several days of heavy rain. Digging a sump (a deep hole, lined and filled with river rock) in those two small areas solved that dilemma.

March-April 2010: Retrofit the sprinkler irrigation system, and convert it to a drip irrigation system. Cap off three of the five sprinkler heads in the area; convert the remaining two with drip irrigation adapters. Lay half-inch drip line in the area where we plan to plant.

April-May 2010: Choose plants! Mostly edible ornamentals. An excellent resource for this information is Rosalind Creasy, who has written several books on the topic. For the blueberries, which required excellent drainage and very acidic soil, we brought in three cattle watering troughs, with large holes drilled in the bottoms of the containers. Several varieties of citrus were planted directly into the ground. Ground cover along the pool walkway included varieties of oregano.

June 2010: We watch it grow, while using a lot less water! Best of all, the bermudagrass hasn't showed its ugly head...yet.  Now, about that patio furniture...